Awarding The Nation's Leading Women

Cemented as South Africa's preeminent initiative to honour the achievements and advocate the advancement of gender empowerment, Standard Bank TOP WOMEN celebrates her 15 year anniversary with a new partnership with the internationally esteemed Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). Created by the Constitution and relied upon to strengthen constitutional democracy through gender equality, the CGE joins hands with TOP WOMEN in gathering South Africa's most accomplished businesswomen for the launch of the 2018 Standard Bank TOP WOMEN Awards.

Charting the next success stories of South Africa's top entrepreneurs, the Standard Bank TOP WOMEN Awards elevate the power and impact of accelerating gender parity by honouring the nation's finest achievers on Thursday 23 August 2018 in Johannesburg. This year, true women's leader, Former First Lady Zanele Mbeki, will be awarded with the 2018 Top Women Lifetime Achiever Award for continuously giving women the necessary resources to empower themselves.

Understanding social suffering from millennia of patriarchy and male dominance in political, economic, and cultural life, the CGE, as a constitutional entity, promotes respect for and the protection, development, and attainment of gender equality. The CGE acts as a catalyst for this transformation and a champion for the Bill of Rights.

With Women's Month propelling gender empowerment into the spotlight, South Africa is reminded of the challenges that threaten the transformation of gender relations on a day-to-day basis. As a nation, society is warned about the collective responsibility to combat the oppression and inequality of women each day of the year, and not just in Women's Month. The Standard Bank TOP WOMEN initiative has become a forceful movement across South Africa, presenting a year-round drive of citizen action to assemble decision makers in public and private sectors with communities to boost gender empowerment.

Poised as the front runners of empowerment for their outstanding contribution to gender justice, this year's Standard Bank TOP WOMEN finalists are announced. Comprising of a range of corporate companies, government departments and entrepreneurs from every sector, the 2018 finalists represent South Africa's potential to overcome adversities facing women in business. Recognising their commitment and successes in achieving the ambitions of the CGE and constitutional democracy, the finalist's and award winners inspire the nation to mobilise mutual efforts toward paving the way for an inclusive and fair environment.

Director of Standard Bank TOP WOMEN, Karla Fletcher comments: "It is our honour to stand side-by-side with the CGE as allies, and we are proud to join their distinguished community of South African and international social justice institutions in the pursuit of the vision for a society free from gender oppression and inequality."